Make shift swapping easier and keep every shift covered

Frequently asked questions

• What is shift swapping?

  Shift swapping allows a team member to request one or more of their qualified colleagues to work one of their shifts and, in exchange, work one of their colleague's future shifts. This practice may require manager approval or can be approved automatically, which helps reduce administrative costs and improve employee flexibility.

• How do you set up shift swapping?

  In the Deputy platform, managers and admin are able to create a set of rules that allow teams to see all shifts and submit requests for shift swapping. For easy access and team communication, this can be done on desktop or mobile app.

• How to create a shift swapping policy?

  While shift swapping is not legally required, it offers employees flexibility and can avoid no-shows. A good shift swapping policy requires you to share the rota in advance so employees can look ahead at their rotas and plan accordingly. Specifying approval parameters will allow your staff to create a work-life balance while having a process that is easy to manage and enforce.

• Why should a business allow shift swapping?

  To ensure tighter shift coverage, allowing staff to swap shifts or find another team member to cover their shift is a great option. This means employees have more control over their rota and also alleviates admin time for managers trying to cover last-minute call-outs or no-shows.

• What is the best shift swapping process?

  It's important to have a well defined and communicated shift swapping process, so there is no confusion among team expectations. Many organisations require manager approval to trade shifts, although auto-approval can speed up the process and remove any roadblocks to coverage.

  Additionally, setting timelines that cut off employees from requesting a shift swap too close to their shift is recommended as it's unlikely it will be picked up by another team member.

• How do you swap shifts in Deputy?

  In Deputy, you can swap shifts by enabling the Shift Swap/Offer functionality on desktop and mobile app. This has to be configured in the settings and is customisable per location if preferred.